69 thoughts on “Huzzah and Godspeed!”

Hi Mrs. Donofrio,
1. I learned that most homes in medieval times were damp, and dark.
2. Most middle aged people wore woolen clothing with and under cloth made of linen.
3.
4. I also learned that the only Christian religion was Catholic! I think that it would be pretty awesome to live in the medieval times for a day to see the everyday tasks of a human. Would you like to have lived in the medieval times?

Hello Mrs.Donofrio,
These are the three facts that I learned.
1. In order for a serf to receive land he had to pay merit or homage to the Lord. The serf went down on his knees before the Lord without a weapon, placed his hands between his lord’s hands and promised to be his man, to serve him and fight for him.
2. Lords commanded a small army made up of serfs who owed him for his military service.
3. Some peasants were freeman and could from place to place if they didn’t like their masters.
The last piece of information that I would want to learn is during the Medieval times did most people practice one certain religion?

Wow Mrs. Donofrio. This is a great website! I learned so much. I choose the peasants or surfs. The first thing I learned was that a peasant had no political rights. Another thing I learned was that the people had to pay for death and even to go to church. That’s crazy! The last thing I learned was that any peasant or surf had to farm but they to fix every thing that was there’s and even there masters. This is a great website! I suggest it to all. One thing I like to know is that why didn’t anyone step up and help these poor surfs. What is you favorite booth in the medieval fair? Hope to blog you later.
Hannah~

What I learned about the middle ages is that the word knight means warrior.The knigts were sometimes called horsemen.The knight’s chief weapon was the sword.That is what I have learned about knights.I want to know is why people make knights mean in books.

Hi Mrs. Donofrio!
I learned…
1. That monarchs ruled kingdoms and lords ruled fiefdoms.
2. Peasants are also called villeins.
3. Vassals is another name for servants.
I would enjoy learnng more about what vassals had to do on a daily bases.
*Megan

Hey Mrs.Donofrio I learned the earliest merchants were peddlers who went, village to village selling their goods. The peddlers sometimes had to import goods from Italy more specificly Genoa and Venice. Finnaly I learned as trade got more and more popular the fudal life servely declined. I want to now were they sold like a certent city or town. What do you want to now.

These are my three facts about daily life in the Medieval Times.
Daily life
1. Brighter colors, better materials, and longer jacket length were signs of greater wealth in the Middle Ages.
2.Healthy children were regarded as a gift from God.
3. While guests ate, musicians and acrobats performed for entertainment.
Government
1. A vassal is another name for a serf or peasant
2. Lords made small armies made up of vassals who owed the lord military service for the land they were given.
3. In order to obtain the land, a vassal had to pay homage to his lord. To do this, a man went down on his knees before the lord without a weapon, placed his hands between his lord’s hands and promised to be his man, to serve him and fight for him. The lord then granted the man a fief. A fief was usually a small piece of land.

What I want to know
1. How many different religions did people practice.

Hi Jayen,
In the Middle Ages, almost everyone was Catholic. There were two types of Catholics back then, Benedictines and Cistercians. The only other religions back then were Islam, Judaism, and non-christian. But, if you were any of these, you were regarded as “infidels”. In fact, the Catholic church was so powerful, that in 1290, Jews were expelled from England. Back then, the Catholic church was also very strict, but was in may ways similar to today’s Catholic church. For instance, priests could not be married. Nor could nuns or monks. I hope I answered your question!
*Megan

Hello! One of the first things I learned that I never knew before is that “medium aevum” means “Medieval” or “Middle Ages”. I also learned that there were four humors, or body fliuds, that were directly related to the four elements: fire=yellow bile or choler; water=phlegm; earth=black bile; air=blood. I did not know this. I also learned that if someone was diagnosed with chickenpox, then the doctor would drape red cloth on things around the room and wrap the person in red cloth. I would love to learn about more medieval things! DIA

I’m sorry Mrs. Donofrio, that I did not finish my comment. The rest of it is here:
They would drape the red cloth around the room and on the person infected with smallpox as a treatment that was related to Black Magic and witchcraft. Also, people with smallpox had photophobia, or discomfort in bright light, so the colored cloths may have protected them from the brightness of day and candles. I also learned that if someone suffered from leprosy, a doctor would have them attend their own funeral before sending off to live in a leper colony! Can you imaging what would happen if a doctor did that in today’s world of medicine? Another thing I found out was that antibiotics weren’t invented until the 1800s and it was almost impossible to cure diseases without them. If we didn’t have the advanced medicine that we have in our daily life, I think it would be a lot harder to be a doctor. If a doctor gave the patient the wrong type of “cure”, than they could be punished with whippings. If the patient was especially wealthy, and the result of the doctor’s treatment was death, the doctor could be executed. It is odd that today so many people complain about having a cold or a cough, when in the Middle Ages people sometimes thought that you could die from it if it got too severe. It is also interesting how doctors and scientists think that cancer or AIDS is so terrible, but back then people with those two diseases thought they could not be saved at all, and common things today could be called the plague. One thing I would really like to know and learn more about is old forms of medicine. I know that they use to practice “bloodletting”, or cutting someone and letting them bleed into a bowl. They believed that if they could rid a person of the bad blood, then the person would be cured. More often that getting better, the patient would get worse, because of the extreme blood loss. Those are some things I would like to learn, and things I didn’t know. DIA

Hi Mrs. Donofrio!,
I learned:
1. Lords mostly lived in manors, surrounded by their serf’s house
2. The Catholic Church was the only church in the Middle Ages, making it nearly the only religion
3. It was assumed that disease came from uncleanliness of the soul.

I want to learn more about old ways to cure sickness in the Middle Ages

Of course! If you were a royal and you didn’t rule well, the people could revolt and you would be not so lucky. If you made a bad decision, then people would complain, and the same thing would happen. Making decisions as a royal is like walking on thin ice. If you make the slightest wrong move, then you could have bad results. Every move you make as an important person is watched and judged.

1.) The average peasant lived in a two room cottage that was constructed of mud plastered branches and straw or of stone and wood with a roof of thatch.

2.) Common people sometimes lived their whole lives never traveling more than 10 miles from the place where they were born.

3.) When the squire was judged ready to become a knight, usually between 18 and 21, a time for the knighting ceremony was set.
I didn’t know any of these things until today. I learned a lot. One thing I want to know is: I wonder what it is like being a knight, and becoming royal.

Hey Mrs. Donofrio,
I learned three things about the Medieval ages. 1. I learned that the people during the middle age produced advantages for art.
2. I learned that if you had a daughter, their father would choose who she would marry.
3. I learned that merchants would travel by using a very fast horse.
One thing I would want to know about the middle ages is how long would you live if you have the plague.

Hello,
I found out that it is most likely that, without medication, you would survive one week before dying. The disease was terrifyingly efficient.
Some symptoms day by day would be…
Day 1: Headache and pains.
Day 2: Minor flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, aches, and pains.)
Day 3: Developing Buboes ( swollen lymph glands)
Day 4: Budos would be fully developed, condition would be deterioration.
Day 5: Flu-like symptoms worsen as buboes grow.
Day 6: Internal bleeding would occur.
Day 7: Death

I also found that the Black Plague was also known as the Black Death.

Do you think that this might have been right on spot and as predicted it would happen day by day?

Hi Heather,
It probably would happen little by little, but I learned even in times when it wasn’t a large death toll per week, such as the 16th century, people only lived a few hours after contracting the disease. They didn’t have medication, so if a family could afford a doctor, they weren’t much good. They would either put chicken meat on your forehead, or they would dose you with a powder that was supposed to be made of unicorns’ horns. Neither worked. What would you do if you contracted the plague?

Hello Mrs. Donofrio
Here are the three thing i didnt know about the midieval times.
1. I didnt know that Rome was the greatest power on Earth.
2. I also didnt know that for many years Europe was without the luxuries and riches that had marked the height of Rome.
3. the final thing i didnt know was that the people of the Middle ages had a rich culture and produced many advances in art

Hi Mrs.Donofrio,
I chose feudal life and here and some facts I learned…
1.For safety and defense people in the Middle Ages made small communities around a lord or master.
2.In the feudal system, the king awarded “fiefs” (land grants) to his most important nobles.
3.Many of the serfs became so powerful that the kings had difficulty controlling them.
If you lived in the medieval times would you rather be a queen or lord(lady)?
-Sydney

These are some things I know about the medieval times;
1.In medieval times they used to call the penny:pence.
2.They used to cut off people’s head when they did something wrong. Or they used to cut off their hands when they stole.
3. Monarchs use to rule so they would live in castles.
–Lauren

Hey Mrs.Donofrio,
Three things I know about the medieval ages,
1. The Catholic church was the only church in Europe.
2. The Lords provide protection for the serfs.
3. Priest usually went to school and had a little education.
One thing I want to know.
1. What’s a coffer?
visit my blog @ http://www.abbylsblog.edublogs.org
~Abbyhk

Hi Mrs. Donofrio
1. People in the Middle Ages formed small communities around a central lord or master.
2. Rome was the greatest power on Earth
3.The Roman Empire collapsed and was gradually replaced by many small kingdoms ruled by a strong warrior.
*James

The Medieval Times are very interesting! I learned allot about it and this is what I had learned.

1. When a high born boy reached the age of 7, he was sent to live in a castle of another lord.

2. If you had brighter clothes, better material, and longer jacket length, they were signs of greater wealth.

3.If you wanted to talk to somebody who lives far away, you had to write a letter which is sent by a private messenger.

But there is one question that I don’t know the answer too, were more people wealthy than poor or the other way around? Do you enjoy learning about the Medieval Times and if you do, what got you into it?

Hi Ellie,
I had no idea that if you were a high born boy you had to go live with another lord. I love learning about the middle ages and Greek Mythology. What got me going on the middle ages was all the amazing bright colors noble woman and noble men would wear on their long dresses or decorative tunics.
How would you feel if you had to be sent off to a different city and live with someone you didn’t even know?

Did you know the word knight comes from the root word: cniht which means page boy. Knights where expected to help the weak and to be brave and honorable. A knights main weapon is a sword. A secondary weapon would be a dagger.

Hi Mrs.D,
There are a lot of cool things about the medieval times! Here’s what I found:
1. The only religion was catholic
2. The medieval times lasted from the fifth century to the 15 century.
3. Vassals are another name for servants.
There is so much more facts about the medieval times I could go on forever, but I chose three I thought were important. I really liked what Dia wrote about it too. what are your three favorite facts?
Emmalee

Hi Mrs Donofrio!
Here are some things I didn’t know about the Middle Ages:

1) I didn’t know that guards had to patrol to towns and shops to make sure there was always peace.
2) I didn’t know people actually had to pay to go to church! I can only imagine how many people would actually go if you had to do that now,ya think?
3) I didn’t know that the Romans made Roman Numerals! Now that I think of it it makes sense. I think that is so cool. They used them now and to this day we still use them.

One thing I would like to know is how did they Identify people? Now a days we have an I.D. or a license but they didn’t back then.

Hey Mrs. Donofrio,
I learned…..
1.People believed that disease was spread by bad odors.
2.It was also assumed that diseases resulted from sins of the soul.
3.Art and music were important in medieval religious life and, towards the end of the Middle Ages.
4. Many peasant families ate, slept, and spent time together in very small homes, not more than one or two rooms.

Something that I knew about the Medieval Ages…
1. The Catholic Church was the only church in Europe.

I learned that the middle ages were a period between the first and fifteenth century in Western Europe. Rome was the greatest power on Earth. I also learned that Europe was without the luxuries and riches that had marked the height of Rome. Mrs. Donofrio, what makes you so interested in the Medieval times?
Evan

Hi Mrs. Donofrio,
Here are more thoughts on my first comment: The most popular girls name during Medieval times was Amelia and the most popular name for boys was Blaxton. Did you know that the fireplace was invented during Medieval times? I would like to learn more about Medieval clothing and what people wore during that time.

Hi Mrs Donofrio,
Here are three facts I learned:
1. Nights are referred to nobleman.
2. In order to keep from killing their comrades, knights painted designs on their armor.
3. The plate armor and chain mail gave very good protection so daggers were used to thrust up mailed armpits.

I would like to know why knights need to be identified during a battle?

Hey Mrs. Donofrio,
I learned that in the Middle Ages for safety and defense, people formed small communities around a central lord or master. I also learned that the Catholic church was the only church during that time. Medieval drama grew out of the liturgy beginning in about the eleventh century. ~Molly

Hey Mrs. Donofrio! I enjoyed learning more about the middle ages. I am really looking forward to learning more about the medieval times this year in class. Here are three new interesting things I learned:

1.) A lot more people in the middle ages devoted themselves to God than in modern day times. Also, I didn’t know that the Cathedrals were always the largest buildings in the town.

2.) Back in the medieval times, they didn’t have regular loose leaf paper made from trees like we do. Instead, they wrote letters on parchment. This was made of the skin of a sheep or a goat. I found this one especially interesting.

3.) I did not know that the people of the medieval times invented gunpowder. The Chinese first invented it to make fireworks. Then, the European’s started using it as a weapon in warfare.

I would like to know what it would be like to live in the middle ages and not have electricity. Would you give up electricity to go back in time and visit Shakespeare?

Hey Mal,
I loved your comment. You helped me learn more new things about the Middle Ages! These are really interesting facts.

I want to know what living without electricity would be like, too. That would be really difficult! I think I would give it up to meet Shakespeare if I had the chance. I could be famous!
Well, see you later!
~Sadie

Hi, Mrs. Donofrio,
I always love learning about the Medieval times and I thought I knew a lot about this era, but as I was researching I found a lot of facts I didn’t know! Here are a few:
1. In the early Medieval times the catholic church was the only church in Europe.

2. Letters were written on parchment (skin of sheep or goat). The writer of the letter would carefully fold the letter then punch the holes into it. Then he would put string through the holes and to keep the string together he would add a dab of wax to the string and put his family seal in the wax. The receiver would study the strings and the wax to make sure no one has read the letter.

3. For peasants it could take days, weeks, months, and even years to receive news or information!

I would like to know how these people could come up with these ideas and discoveries? Could you ever come up with a way to create something everyone could use?

Hey Cogan,
I liked you comment! I didn’t know that the Catholic Church was the only church in Europe, which is really interesting. You would think someone somewhere would come up with a new religion. Or at least traders would spread their religions. No I don’t think I could make up something people could use; I have no interest in that area either. Have you made s or have had an idea for something cool you can make?
-Audrey

I liked your comment! I learned a lot more information about the Medieval times! About your question, I think they came up with there ideas because they probably wanted to find more ways to make a better community. Oh, I probably wouldn’t be able to create something that everyone could use, but I could try!

Hi Mrs.Donofrio, I am so excited to learn about Medieval times! Although I know a few things. Medieval times went through the 500 to15,000. Thats 1,000 years! There were no cars in there time, but they traveled by horses. I also know that they listened to music and did lots of art. They had there markets outside not like we do to day. I really want to know about there houses and what they ate for a living,whether their poor or rich. Do you think it would be fun to live in this time, or do you like how we’re living now?
-Cooper

Hi Mrs. Donofrio,
I went on the websites and learned that falconry (hunting while using hawks to find and attack prey) was one of the most popular games of the noble classes. I always thought it was mainly for the royal family, but they are at least twice as noble as lords and ladies. The second thing I learned was the feudal system, which was very interesting, because it was almost like there was no money, only land. the third thing was that anyone who owned or borrowed land, even a vassal who would be a peasant without their land, could become a lord if they loaned someone land. I want to learn what kind of diseases bothered or even killed people, besides the Great Plague. I’d also like to learn what kept the education of the ancient Romans alive, just enough so that the Renaissance could begin, and so that artists could paint and sculpt, that scientists could study, and so playwriters could write plays. Speaking of plays, what performances will we hold at the Medieval Fair?

Hi Mrs.Donofrio! I love to learn about the medieval times. Here are the 3 things I did not know about medieval times :

1) In churches two people were required to play a stringed instrument–one to turn the crank and the other to play the keys.

2) In the homes of the villagers they had small sized windows so they can see out but the people outside could not see in.

3)If the peasants worked hard, the Lord said he would protect them.

The thing I want to know is how did the people of the medieval times came up with the inventions we have today. They didn’t have microscopes or other things too. Have you ever thought of that? See you later!

Hi Mrs Donofrio its Daniel
these are some things i know about the medieval times
1.) the age of the medieval time was from 500 to 1500 A.D
2.) they called a jail a dungeon, and you didn’t want to be in a medieval dungeon.
3.) The Lords were the richest in the land and the highest in command were the king and queen.
If you were in a medieval, what would be the most likely reason you would be in one?

Hi Mrs.Donofrio. Three things that I have learned about life in the middle ages that I didn’t know before were:
1) Inside the castle walls, there was a keep. The nobleman and his family lived in it.
2) Wealthy people wore clothes made of silk, velvet, and a heavy cloth called damask.
3) Guests did not have a plate, silverware, or a cup at dinnertime. The plates were flat pieces of stale bread called trenchers, which were shared with other guests.
I want to know if guests liked the ways that they had to share the “plates”. If you were a guest, would you like it?
-Raina

You have some really good facts! I did not know your first question or you third one. If I was a guest,I think it would be weird using stale bread as plates. Do you think that? Wouldn’t be hard to cut something too? Well now I am probably going to look that up. See you at school!

Hi Mrs. Donofrio,
I’m sorry I haven’t done this earlier, but edublogs would not work on my computers at all. Louis just showed me how to fix it, so this shouldn’t happen again.

Anyways, I checked out the medieval websites and here’s three new facts I found:
1) I did not know that approximately 20% of women died during childbirth! That’s a lot! Also, 5% of infants died during delivery with another 10-12% dying in their first month. That makes me appreciate my life even more! Healthy children were regarded as a gift from God.

2)I knew that doctors did not have good knowledge on medicine and health, but I did not know that there were no hospitals for patients. It is said that most of the patients with diseases that live were a miracle. People were always praying to the saints for the health of their loved ones.

3) Lastly, I learned about the Roman-Catholic Church. I learned that when members wanted special favors or wanted to be certain of a place in heaven, they would give gifts such as land, flocks, crops, and serfs to the church. This helped the church gain power and get the kings to do what they wanted.

Something I want to know is: How did arranged marriages work for kings and queens (if there were arranged marriages), and what were the marriage ceremonies like?

Hi Mrs. Donofrio!
After doing some research I learned these three things:
1.) There where spoons and knives, but they didn’t have forks. Crazy! The hands were used to eat food because of this, which caused people to get really sick more often. The sinks were not usually near the eating area so people never got to clean them selves.
2.) Some of the odd ways to fix illness were: cobwebs cured warts, living in the sewer would protect you from the black plague, killing Jews would give you health, and rubbing your wounds with a live chicken would cure you.
3.) Spices were extremely expensive and were used to show ones wealth. An ounce of spice would cost more than one day’s wages.
I would like to know how the doctors figured out all of those odd cures , also why they would even try them?

Hey Carson,
I would’ve liked to live in the Medieval times because they spoke diffrently than us with more of an English accent. Another reason is because they had a different culture then we did. They ate different foods. The only reason I wouldn’t want to live back then is because they really couldn’t treat diseases because they didn’t have the medicine. Would you like to have lived during the Medieval times? Why or why not?

One thing I want to know about the Medival times is well I have a few things:
1. Why were the Medieval Times called that?
2. Why did they start and why did they end?
3. Why were they called the Medival Times?
Do you know the answers to any of these questions?
Emmalee

Hi Sydney,
If I was living in the Medieval Times I would probably want to be a queen? Why you might ask well, You could be make a difference in that time. Help the poor or feed the sick. I would also like it because of the attention. I’d love to have the spotlight, and I could do practically anything. I could eat whatever I wanted to and sleep in! I would love to do that! wouldn’t you like to sleep in every morning?
Emmalee

Hey Mrs.Donofrio,
I chose to do research on music since I played a lot of instruments
1.)The flute was once made out of wood instead if sliver and other metals, and could be made as a side-blown or end-blown instrument
2.) The gemshorn is similar to the recorder in having finger holes on it front, though is actually a member of the ocarina family, which is a category for wind instruments.
3.)Medieval music was both scared and secular. During the earlier medieval period, the liturgical genre, predominantly Gregorian chant was monophnic

Hi Mrs.D Three things I learned where
1.Most serf died of illness because medicine in there time couldn’t cure there disease.
2. If brighter colors were worn it meant they were probably wealthy.
3. If any serf tried to confront the lord without permission they would be beheaded,sent to jail, and even as punishment one of there arms or leg cut off. (Yuck!!)
The one thing I want to know is was there ever a serf who became king by doing nothing.

Hey Kids,
I really enjoyed reading your comments; you all helped me to learn a lot. I did not know the Latin root for “medieval” and I have often wondered at the spelling. Likewise, I was unfamiliar with the origin of “knight”. I knew some of the details of the progressions and attempted cures for the Plague, but not all of the information you wrote about. I also knew some of the history of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, but you enlightened me more on this subject.
I have been been reading about the Crusades, and have decided that the Middle Ages were a difficult time to live. Medicine was severely inadequate; the feudal system grossly unfair to serfs, who were the majority of people, and a proper diet was nearly impossible for anyone not in royal standing. In short, I am thankful God chose to put me in The United States of America in this time period.
I also enjoyed reading about the paper/parchment our literature was written on. I’ve heard it called “vellum”.
‘Til next time!
~Mrs. Donofrio

Hey Mrs.Donofrio
Here are three things that I didn’t know about Medieval times.
1] That nights were known as noblemen.
2] The catholic church was the only church in Europe.
3]And that it took 2 people to play the organ in churches.
see you soon Eric

Hi Mrs Donofrio,
I learned that The knights were sometimes called horsemen. The Catholic Church was the only church in the Middle Ages.And I learned that if you had a daughter, their father would choose who she would marry.

Hey Mrs. Donofrio,
I learned that one the Catholic Church was used as a source of teaching. Two bright colors you would have worn stood for your wealth. Three that peasants were also called serfs. My question is that why were the Middle Ages out of all names called that specific one?